Asahi buried his face in his pillow as he flopped down onto his bed. He had just gotten home from school and his bag lay abandoned by his door, homework sitting untouched inside. He knew he should get up but that didn't actually help him gain the willpower to do so. School hadn't even been bad that day! In fact it had been pretty pleasant. Yet here he was curling into a ball and doing his very best to disappear.

It was the theatre club's fault. Or, more accurately, Imari-senpai's. Maybe that wasn't fair, blaming him, but Asahi didn't have anyone else to feel frustrated with.

Imari-senpai hadn't done anything wrong. The problem was that he did everything right. Way too right. Asahi was beginning to suspect that maybe he liked his senpai just a bit too much. He was just way too nice and cool and tall - who knew he liked people taller than himself?

Asahi had never imagined himself getting romantically involved with anyone. He had a hard enough time with friends, what would he do with a girl- boyfriend? That was new as well. If having a girlfriend was a foreign thought the idea of having a boyfriend might as well have been impossible before that moment. Did he want Imari-senpai to be his boyfriend?

No way. Imari-senpai hated people looking at him. A boyfriend would draw way too many unwelcome stares. Asahi wasn't sure he could handle that either. He groaned into his pillow. This wasn't fair at all.

A crush shouldn't be this big a deal. He wasn't used to having them but they seemed pretty inconsequential most of the time. Youhei had once changed the girl he had a crush on over the course of a single week. That was an extreme example he supposed but still! Boys his age seemed to change who they liked on the toss of a coin. Hell, a lot of them liked the same girl because she was pretty or athletic or smart. Most people seemed to agree who was the most desirable. Crushes didn't seem like they were usually particularly deep.

With Imari-senpai... well, it certainly wasn't a simple thing. He was weird and scary sometimes and Asahi really had no idea if he was smart or athletic. Pretty, sure, but Asahi didn't look at him too often to make sure he didn't get uncomfortable. Maybe he liked him because he was good at acting? He certainly admired his ability to bring characters to life. That seemed important, it was something that made Imari-senpai who he was, but it wasn't why he liked him. Asahi wasn't sure he could pinpoint the source of his confusing feelings.

He just liked him. He liked spending time with him and wanted to learn more about him.

Imari-senpai was like him, he got anxious around other people, and Asahi supposed that was what drew them together. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who struggled and that Imari-senpai would be able to relate to him. It made him less lonely.

But Asahi dreaded seeing him now. With the realisation that he was potentially developing some very inconvenient feelings being close with him seemed dangerous. Would he be able to act normal around him? Would he start to like him more just from exposure? Would he freak Imari-senpai out if he let on about what he was thinking?

He had to see Imari-senpai so often because of the theatre club. They were even on the same train sometimes. It would be so hard to ignore.

Asahi only hoped that he would be able to bury this crush with time.